It sucks to be a dad and a guy.  Weird statement?  Yeah I know.  But it makes sense when you think about how lame it is to be a guy, knowing how the guy mind works, realizing that the eyes in front of the minds of all those creatures are going to be looking at your daughter.  I say again!  It sucks to be a dad and a guy!  

Have I told you that I have a beautiful little girl named Avonlea Joy?  Greatest 6 year old girl ever (put a disputingcomment up and we can throw down).  The pic above (iPhone pic represent!) is her.  She’s spinning around in H&M after she put on her new dress and she was being absolutely adorable.   

So there in lies my dilemma.  As a dad I have a God given desire to love and protect her but as a guy I know that all guys suck.  They do!  It’s true.  Your son.  Your father.  Your brother.  Your uncle.  Definitely your uncle!  Your uncle for sure!  They are guys and that’s that.  We are sick people.  What?!  It’s our burden.  Thank God for his purifying grace and power to change.

So!  What do you do?  My daughter is only in the 2^nd grade and I’m already freaked out about little punk 7 year olds talking to her on the playground.  Excuse me young man, can you stop talking to my daughter and go play with a truck or something because my daughter doesn’t get to talk to boys until she’s older—older as, eligible for congress, older—so go play or wait a while. 

My daughter and I go on dates.  We went on a date last night and we had a great time.  I am trying to set her dating patterns now but she’s pretty clever and sometimes senses what I’m up to.  “Avonlea!  Of course all pretty girls wear nun habits and Muslim head coverings when they go on dates.  Look, it’s fun to be completely covered up from head to toe—It’s like hide and seek!  Why don’t you believe me?”  So my attempts don’t always work out, but I try.  So, I bought her a pretty dress, instead.   Shopping at the mall was the first event on our date schedule.

We walk and talk and get treats and go to the movies and get dinner and dessert.  Every time we get to a door I open it.  If I don’t—don’t worry—she definitely.  Definitely.  Definitely lets me know it.  And so I try not to forget.

Ultimately (jokes aside) I just want to be Jesus to her.  My hope is that she starts to learn now what if feels like to be treated like a daughter of the King.  Respected.  Encouraged.  Blessed.  Served.  Fought for.  Sought after.  Listened to.  Honored.  Hollywood is doing their darndest to give her a different picture of the perfect date so the challenge is no easy one.

A cheesy Renee Zellweger movie that I saw the other day gave me my new favorite line.  A father whose daughter was about to go to prom gives a Fatherly talk to the boy that’s going to take her.  Looking him right in the eye, he says, as stern and believable as can be, “You go ahead and have a good time tonight but know that whatever you do to her I will do to you.”  Yes!  That’s what I’m talking about!  That’s my line right there!  I love it.

Here’s a little picture of my daughter Avonlea.  These are the words for a song that I wrote about her perspective on the world (as I observed her perspective) when she was only 2.  It’s amazing how fitting that the lyrics still are—maybe more so now.  She’s totally special, you’ll see what I mean right away. 

My girl thinks She’s 17 walking around like she knows everything

Smelling the roses striking the poses

Everyone glancing watching her dancing

My girl she’s a beauty queen inside outside everything

She’s zany and sassy—quiet is passé

She’s living like she doesn’t care about anything

But when she walks down the street

She thinks everything’s so sweet

She thinks that life is nothing more than a big mystery

And she says

What a wonderful world scenes of plenty painted pink and purple

What a wonderful world laughter and love smiling faces everyone

Every place there is someone.  Everybody see like Avonlea

My girl lives in her dream world stars shine down in shimmer swirl

Magic places and fantasy faces

Sweepn’ her deep into nowhere land

My girl she’s my lovy dove heaven’s kiss coming from above

It’s a beautiful pleasure holding your treasure

Her smile to me is poetry

But when she walks down the street

She thinks everything’s so sweet

She thinks that life is nothing more than a big mystery

And she says

What a wonderful world scenes of plenty painted pink and purple

What a wonderful world laughter and love smiling faces everyone

Every place there is someone.  Everybody see like Avonlea

You know the day is passing by way too fast

Savor the moment then make it the past

Soon very soon it’ll be past noon

The heavens loom our star dims to soon